Psychoanalytic Character Analysis of The Lord Of The Flies
The Lord of The Flies
The Lord of The Flies is is a rather ambiguous character, and from what evidence that can be mustered up from the book, he is not in possession of any superego whatsoever and lacks any sign of a conscious appreciation for doing what is moral and ethical. The Lord of the Flies represents all that is evil and wrong in the world, and primarily follows his id tendencies. The id is a part of the personality that displays and follows primeval instincts and requires instantaneous satisfaction. Often, when this side of the personality is most noticeable, it is when the character does something irrational to further his/her own ends. This is epitomized when he states, “I’m the reason it’s a no go? Why things are the way they are? (143)”, and by saying this, he implies that the reason for the betrayals and infinite cruelty and immorality that has stricken the island and the boys, is because he influenced it. This also suggests that The Lord of The Flies is a symbol for the true evil and the primordial instincts of power and barbarity that eventually seizes Jack’s tribe and embellishes itself, whether mildly or overwhelmingly, into every boy on that island. Another point of which The Lord of The Flies shows no humanity whatsoever, was when he attempted to manipulate Simon by playing on his sense of the childish need for acceptance by expressing, “You don’t want Ralph to think you’re batty, do you? You like Ralph a lot, don’t you? And Piggy, and Jack? (143)”. Simon desperately desires to be embraced by Ralph and his tribe, and The Lord of The Flies relies on this flaw to assist him in his effort to exploit him. The Lord of The Flies is a primarily evil character, and lacks any awareness for the basic ethics required in a society, and seeks to influence others to follow in the crooked, unscrupulous path he has inscribed into the
The Lord of The Flies is is a rather ambiguous character, and from what evidence that can be mustered up from the book, he is not in possession of any superego whatsoever and lacks any sign of a conscious appreciation for doing what is moral and ethical. The Lord of the Flies represents all that is evil and wrong in the world, and primarily follows his id tendencies. The id is a part of the personality that displays and follows primeval instincts and requires instantaneous satisfaction. Often, when this side of the personality is most noticeable, it is when the character does something irrational to further his/her own ends. This is epitomized when he states, “I’m the reason it’s a no go? Why things are the way they are? (143)”, and by saying this, he implies that the reason for the betrayals and infinite cruelty and immorality that has stricken the island and the boys, is because he influenced it. This also suggests that The Lord of The Flies is a symbol for the true evil and the primordial instincts of power and barbarity that eventually seizes Jack’s tribe and embellishes itself, whether mildly or overwhelmingly, into every boy on that island. Another point of which The Lord of The Flies shows no humanity whatsoever, was when he attempted to manipulate Simon by playing on his sense of the childish need for acceptance by expressing, “You don’t want Ralph to think you’re batty, do you? You like Ralph a lot, don’t you? And Piggy, and Jack? (143)”. Simon desperately desires to be embraced by Ralph and his tribe, and The Lord of The Flies relies on this flaw to assist him in his effort to exploit him. The Lord of The Flies is a primarily evil character, and lacks any awareness for the basic ethics required in a society, and seeks to influence others to follow in the crooked, unscrupulous path he has inscribed into the